Area of research

Summary

My role as Progress and Admissions Officer for the School of Chemistry means that I'm no longer heavilly involved in research. Previously my research has involved single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction experiments.

Biography

I was born in Amersham and spent the early part of my life near there before moving to Leicestershire and finishing my secondary education at Beauchamp College in Oadby. I graduated with a BSc from Bristol University in 1990 and then did a PhD working with Professor Selby Knox on the organometallic chemistry of benzyne on metal clusters. In 1994 I moved to Sheffield and worked as a BP Research Associate in Professor Peter Maitlis's laboratory for about 18 months on one aspect of what is now know as the Cativa process for converting methanol into acetic acid. I returned to Bristol in 1995 initially as a Junior Research Fellow working again with Selby Knox. My strong interest in single crystal X-ray diffraction studies led me into that line of work and I managed the X-ray service in Bristol for a number of years before taking on my current role of Progress Officer.

Teaching

I am heavilly involved in the teaching. I currently give give lecture courses in

Electron Transfer in Coordination and Organometallic Chemistry

Chemical Applications of Group Theory

Main Group Chemistry

The Group theory course has been delivered as a distance learning course to our Chemistry with Industrial Experience students for about 10 years. I am currently developing a new distance learning course for Stuructural Methods in Inorganic Chemistry that will operate from October 2012.

As one of the four members of the School of Chemistry Teaching Task Force I have been involved in the comprehensive redesign of all of the Chemistry undergraduate degree programmes.

My Progress officer role involves taking responsibility for the progress issues and pastoral care of about 650 undergraduate Chemistry students. From August 2012 I will also be the Admissions Officer for the School of Chemistry.